


A tale of beasts and hunters

by j_and_lyall



Category: Monster Hunter (Video Games)
Genre: Canon Compliant, I gave all of them names, I'm gonna edit this as I go, Mention of Child Abuse, Slow Burn, Watch me go, because capcom consists of cowards and refuses to do so, but not only romantical or sexual, dark themes, entirely self indulgent MH work, i wrote this for me but y'all can read it too I guess, it's only been a force of good in my life and this is what I make of it, most of those things are in later chapters, my writing is bad so if you read this I'm sorry, questionable morals, so enjoy i guess, this is honestly focused on interpersonal relationships
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-07-16
Packaged: 2020-05-18 21:50:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 14,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19343353
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/j_and_lyall/pseuds/j_and_lyall
Summary: In a world where giant monsters rule, humans are mere accessories to nature. Yet the hunters of this world still stand between them and the pure forces of nature threatening to destroy humanity once and for all.His whole life he had searched for a reason to go on - never finding one. Yet as his life stands in debt towards someone, Aestas finds himself with a glaive in his hands and duty on his shoulders.





	1. Lady in Blue

Falling leaves rained onto the roof of a rather small house, the light of the autumn morning bringing a dim shimmer with it. The sun just started to rise, illuminating the small town in all its colors. People were getting ready to start their work, yet today was a special day. A stiff breeze knocked a branch against the window of that certain small house. The prison of this town, to be precise. With pain pounding in his head, the black haired inmate woke up, not able to open his eyes despite trying to. Part of his face was still swollen and the blood that had dried all over it didn’t make it any easier. Pushing his body to the side, he just lay there for a minute, feeling how his arms started to pound from the handcuffs they had put on him. Even his legs? What a joke. Not like he wouldn’t be familiar with the situation. Yet it’d be over soon anyways. He heard them talk about it the day before, how they wanted to hang that monster. This time he didn’t even try to fight back. It didn’t have any sense and he was just way too tired for it as well. As he stopped trying to open his eyes properly, he just listened to the birds sing outside, the rustling leaves, the call of a wyvern from further away. If it wouldn’t be ruined by those nasty beings called humans out there, that scenery would’ve been beautiful. He took a deep breath, as far as the muzzle allowed him to breath, yet it only ended up in him coughing for a short while. His mouth tasted distinctly like blood; no wonder after what had happened. Deciding to just spend his last few minutes in peace, he let his head rest on the cold floor, only taking in the soft noises from nature, trying to ignore the rest of the things that were going on around the small house.

To his annoyance this got way harder as time went by. A commotion had apparently formed outside, loud voices talking all over each other. Grumbling shortly, he finally lifted his upper body, flinching shortly due to the pain that was still flooding through his whole abdomen. They sure lived out their aggressions on him yesterday. To be fair, he did very much play all of them like the idiots they were. At least he had fun doing so. They all were stuck up assholes anyways or would trade their own parents to Satan for a cookie. How else would it have been that easy to pull only a few strings and they all danced like puppets already. He didn’t give them any ideas, on the contrary. He only told them what they wanted to hear all the time, encouraged them to do what they already wanted to do. So what if that certain something was murder. A shame. Anyways, he should probably ready himself for his last words. Would they even let him have them? A suppressed sigh escaped him. Maybe he should shake them up a bit more one last time.

“Alright guys, bring him out of there!” A laugh could be heard from outside, right before somebody opened the door. The bright sunlight of the morning made him flinch and turn his head away, followed by more loud laughter of the men that stood there. Two of them opened his cell, grabbing him one under each arm to drag him out. Oh, this was just great. A slightly discontented grumble became audible as they let him fall onto his knees outside, his head just hanging low before the rest of the town. He had nothing else to do besides stare at the ground anyways. He knew this goddamn little village by now - there was literally nothing interesting. All those houses with their tiny gardens and happy families. Hah. Bullshit. He knew how they really hated each other to the bone. At least he could see some grass below him right at this moment.

“You’re really sure you want to take that thing with you?” The voice made the black haired curious enough to look up slightly, causing him to notice some strange boots in front of him. Those were new. Apparently those of a hunter. Oh, great, it was most likely one of those self-absorbed assholes who killed animals mostly for fun. Letting his head sink back, he scoffed shortly, only noticing how somebody cut the rope around his ankles. Not like running would do him any good right now, his condition would probably let him stumble forwards a few steps before somebody smacked him back down.

“He’s not a thing. And yes, I’m sure. Even if he did what you told me.” The heck was that girl talking about? Take him where? The meat grinder? Hah, probably would be better than this. Or use him as live bait for one of the flying wyverns out there.

“Well if you say so. You heard the lady, asshole. Get up.” Somebody kicked his back, causing him to almost kiss the ground, yet he at least had enough dignity left to push himself back up, grinding his teeth as he lifted his body into the air just out of spite towards them. As if that would bring him to get up if he didn’t have the strength left. The logic really made him roll his eyes. They thought they had beaten him into submission, huh? What a joke. This was like a kitten’s scratch against…. he shouldn’t think of that right now. Rather about what the hell they were planning to do. His gaze finally wandered up to the person standing in front of him. 

The woman wasn’t really tall, yet she had a certain presence that made him stare at her for a second. Her black hair was falling over her shoulders up to her chest, whereas her iris complimented the seemingly liquid ebony perfectly with a dark, yet intense blue. Judging by the rather tanned skin, she probably spent a lot time outside, but that wouldn’t be a big surprise considering her profession. However, her hair almost seemed as if she would’ve dyed it a bit. Such a vivid black wouldn’t really be called usual. But it sure matched the blue clothes she wore rather well. At the moment she didn’t seem to carry any proper armor, yet the long sword fixed on the halter on her back told enough about her skill. Judging by her looks, she was experienced. A few scars were visible on her bare arms above the gloves, yet her face was free of them. At least she wasn’t one of those idiots who didn’t know what a helmet was. He took a step back to not stand too close to her, yet was only greeted by a hand against his head as a response. As if his hair wouldn’t be messed up enough already by rolling around in the dirt.

“Hey, asshole, who allowed you to move?” His gaze was fixed on her still, his ice blue eyes staring at her. What did he try to find there? Something like a reason why she was here maybe. And why they were talking as if she would be taking him with her.

“Look at me when I’m talking to you!” The voice next to him sounded really pissed off. He had to chuckle slightly as he heard it. Too bad that bastard couldn’t see his grin right now. An annoyed grumble signalized him that he probably would feel a fist against his head in a few seconds again. Closing his eyes, he accepted it calmly, awaiting the impact against his temple.

A surprised gasp escaped the throat of the man next to him, followed by a few steps, apparently away from him. Opening his eyes again he got to see how that strange woman held the hand of the man next to him in an iron grip, staring him down in a way that caused his face to show a fear the black haired had not seen often before.

“Thank you for bringing him here. I will take care of this from now on.” Furrowing his eyebrows slightly, he stared at her a bit… unbelieving. Why did she not just accept that he was about to get hit? As far as he was aware, she did not know him nor did he know who she was. Closing his eyes again for a second to give them a short rest, he just sighed deeply, staring at the ground again after a while.

“Fine, alright. But don’t let him take off that muzzle. Trust me, you’ll want to kill him yourself once he opens his mouth.” The lady in blue sighed as well, bowing her head shortly.

“I thank you for all your advice and help, but I think it would be best to go now. Before anybody else wants to say goodbye in their own way.” Hah. Good one. He liked her way of sassing people. Yet he still had no idea why the hell she defended him from those idiots. Her eyes now fixed him again, a certain shimmer in them he couldn’t identify. Anger? No, if she would hate him like the rest here, she would’ve just let him hang. Or maybe she wanted to kill him herself. Who knew. The woman stepped closer towards him, taking his arm into her hand. She didn’t just grab him like those other guys before, rather, she seemed to be careful as to not hurt him any more than he already was. Right at that moment he decided not to question it any longer; if somebody wanted to come for his life, they were welcome. She led him away from town, towards the near forest. The airship station should be somewhere behind it. Wherever they were going, it could only be better than this goddamn hole of liars and bastards. Hearing how some voices behind them started to curse or pray, he had to grin below his mask. As if a god still existed here.

“Are you feeling well enough to walk?” Snapping back from his thoughts as he heard the voice, the convict looked at the woman next to him. Still, he had no idea who she was nor why she cared about him, but he didn’t want to be too impolite right away. Nodding, he stared ahead again, inspecting the trees, bushes and flowers on the way. The small path they were taking was framed by so many colors that he lost himself in the sight. Much better than the grey of that prison cell. He could hear the sounds of smaller animals fleeing as they came closer, the wind rustling through nature and the murmur of a tiny river flowing through the forest somewhere. It seemed as if they were headed there. For the rest of the way, they only walked in silence, broken up solely by the noises of nature around them. He liked this feeling. Maybe it was better than hanging after all.They finally stopped in front of the shallow river, the woman pulling a small key out of her pocket to loosen his handcuffs, a tingling feeling spreading through them as blood finally rushed back into his fingers. Having his hands free again, he shortly rubbed his wrists, the blood on them having formed a crust by now. Did she really just free him? That girl sure didn’t have a lot of worries.

“That brook is clear. The spring of it is just up that hill.” She pointed up towards it, right before she took a small bottle from her belt, holding it into the water to fill it up. Not really sure how to react to all of that, he decided to just kneel down, holding his hands into the cold water to wash off the old blood and dirt from the prison. The cool feeling blew some of his life back into him. As he felt the short shiver run through his body, he finally realized how thirsty he was. It had been about two days since he last drank something, and being beaten half to death probably added a bit to his body being rather fucked up. Sighing shortly, he lifted his head a bit. If he had to keep that thing on, he’d probably just starve to death. A hand touched his head all of a sudden, causing him to flinch for a second, yet no thing such as a knife on his throat followed. Rather, the second hand of the woman slowly opened up the lock that was holding the muzzle around his jaw and nose. Carefully, she took it off, kneeling down next to him to hand him the small bottle.

“Thank you.” The words were rather croaked out than said. His voice sounded as hoarse as if he would’ve just smoked ten cigarettes at once. Taking the bottle with rather shaking hands, he gulped everything down in one go, not caring about how cold it was. Only after he emptied another bottle did he hand it back to her, the black haired lady sitting next to him in silence as she took it. Inhaling the air around him with a deep, free breath into his lungs, he finally bowed down to splash some of the water into his face, flinching as he touched a few of the cuts. Still, it would be better to wash them out now. The young man only heard the noises of the forest between his own breaths and the splashing of the water. His hands started to wander over his jaw, feeling how rough the skin now was as a slight stubble had grown on it. At some parts he felt how swollen it was, yet thankfully nothing seemed to be broken. He let out a sigh of relief as he finally felt cleaner again, although he probably stank like a goddamn street rat. No wonder after two days in that hole.

“Do you feel better?” The voice caused him to look up at that woman again. A lot of questions were rushing through his head, but at that moment he was just way too tired to deal with them. He just resorted to nodding shortly, enjoying how the fresh air of the forest met his lungs after two days of damp atmosphere.

“We’re heading over to the next big town. And from there to Val Habar. Are you alright with that?” Again, he simply nodded to the question. Everything was better than to stay at this place here right now. Closing his eyes for a second, he asked himself why she was even doing this again, as she gained nothing at all from it. And she didn’t even know him.

“Who are you even?”, he finally asked straight out, his curiosity getting the upper hand over his constant fatigue. His eyes swiftly caught hers again, making sure that she wouldn’t tell any lies to him. Sighing, the woman leaned back, that strange shimmer he had noticed earlier already in her look again.

“My name is Valyra, but call me Val. I am a hunter from the guild. And I guess you want to know why I came here to pick you up, right?” She took a deep breath in, blinking for a second before she continued. She sure caught on quickly, he gave her that much credit.

“I know it might sound selfish and stupid, but… I got to know about you a few days ago. And that you’re basically the only living relative I still have. Even if it’s a bit distant, as soon as I knew where you were, I came here to find you. Seems I got here just in time, huh?” Raising one eyebrow, she smiled slightly. Well, he was prepared for worse than that to happen today, so he took it lightly. Just lifting the corner of his mouth slightly as a response, he bowed down again to hold his head under water, at least as far as the shallow little river allowed it. The blood that was still stuck in his hair finally washed out, along with the dust and ash. As he finally lifted his head again, he felt more like a human already, or at least less than a dirty rag to clean the floor with.

“Are you ready to leave? We should get you something proper to dress in the next town. It’s not far from here, so you won’t have to walk long.” His gaze fixed on the water below him, he sighed silently before he pushed his body up without another word. Although he still felt a bit unsure on his legs, it was better than before. The black haired lady got back onto her feet as well, surely more elegant than he did. Simply following her with a still slightly stumbling walk, he let his eyes wander around.

“Aestas.” His voice echoed towards her, still hoarse, yet not sounding like something straight from the throat of a Gravios anymore.

“My name is Aestas.”


	2. Manners

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's all about them. What a bother.

Massaging her temples, Val sat there in complete silence, her eyes closed and a rather tense expression on her face. The black haired man on the other side of the table had his arms crossed, his eyebrows slightly raised and a muzzle on his face.

“Don’t even try to look at me like that. You know exactly why you’re wearing it again.” He couldn’t hold back a grin below the mask. Well, she didn’t see it anyways. But that was a bit of an overreaction in his eyes. He did nothing wrong after all. Maybe he scared that guard guy a bit. And maybe he gave those two men in the bar a tilt into the right direction. But that was all. At least he didn’t make the barber cry.

“So, let’s recap this, just so I can be sure I didn’t miss anything.” Her voice sounded serious, but he still had to grin widely under that mask. There was nothing wrong with a bit of mischief in his eyes after all. Nobody even died this time. Leaning back a bit, he let the day rush by in front of his eyes again.

When they arrived, they were greeted by a guard who asked them if they were of any threat. So, naturally, he broke off a small branch or a tree behind his back before he stepped up towards him, the tip of the branch directly on the throat of the surprised man. That guy in armor didn’t even know what to answer to the question he asked. “If we would be, do you think you could stop us right here? Rather you’d be dead already. Before you could even call for help.” Then Val pulled him away on his collar and apologized. She sure seemed to be nice to everyone. 

“First, you made the guards be wary of you and scared one almost half to death. Do you have anything to say in your defense?” ‘Say’ was a good joke. With that thing in front of his mouth, he wouldn’t be able to. That was the purpose of it after all. Staring her dead in the eyes, he pulled a piece of paper closer, picking up a pen to write something down. She raised one eyebrow a bit, staring as he wrote, yet not seeing what it was yet. Of course she couldn’t see how amused he was by the whole situation, yet he could see how her facial expression froze as he lifted the piece of paper that just read ‘I would if I could talk’. The woman softly let one hand stroke over her face, her eyes closed for a moment. Oh, if she already was done with him now, this could become an interesting day.

“Nevermind. I’ll see that as a no. Anyways, to the next point. The bar.” Oh, yes, the bar. Funny thing. She left him alone at a bar for, what? Five minutes? But he just couldn’t resist it. The two idiots that were almost drooling as the waitresses walked by were way too easy to manipulate. A whisper to one of the girls, a really ‘girly’ drink to the jacked dude in the back of the bar with the wishes from these two idiots and it was a perfect setup. While he just leaned back and had his tea. At least that was nice tea.

“Nothing either?” Shrugging, he just shook his head at the question. There was a short silence in the room before the woman finally started to talk again.

“So, do you even feel sorry about all of this?” Her question came out straight towards him, her eyes fixed on his as he pulled another piece of paper closer. For about three minutes, he only wrote one word, yet she didn’t see what he was doing until he raised it - the most perfectly, calligraphic ‘No’ he had ever written. Again, her expression went from curiosity to one that just screamed ‘I want to throw you out of the window’ at him. His grin was wider than before by now, seeing how she probably just regretted her decision of picking him up from that town. A deep sigh escaped her throat as she leaned back, one hand resting on her face in a rather defeated gesture.

“You need to act better when you’re around people you don’t know. Nobody here wants to harm you or do anything to you at all. But that means you should meet them with the same respect they bring to you. Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t make the poor man who brought you your new clothes cry.” Rolling his eyes shortly, Aestas scoffed as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. As if anybody would bring him respect if they didn’t fear him. Nobody in the human race really respected another life. He had seen enough of it to judge for himself. He thanked her for the things she did for him and in his eyes she also was the only person who deserved it. Another sigh followed, right before Val stood up, wandering through the room for a bit.

“At least you were nice to the barber.” To be fair, that girl there didn’t deserve him being an asshole as well. She already got enough shit thrown at her by her boss. Who unfortunately tripped over a carelessly extended leg. He had considered placing a small rock at the place his head would have met, but another dead body on his way probably wasn’t the best thing to have right now. And the girl of course didn’t deserve to see somebody with a cracked skull twitching on the floor. Plus he didn’t look like a homeless alcoholic anymore now, so that was a point for her. She did her job really well. His bangs still were long enough to reach his eyes, but the nasty long hair over his shoulders was gone. It barely reached his chin now. Much better in warm weather. Standing up as well, he watched how she packed her things, shouldering a rather large bag that emitted a clunking noise as she picked it up. Probably her armor.

“Anyways. Let’s just…. Just be nice to people. Help them if possible. You’ll be eating on the ship. It’s leaving this evening. And if possible, I want to get there without stirring up any further conflict.” A sharp stare met him as she held up one hand, the index finger of her free hand floating in front of his face, almost like a knife that could stab his eyes out any second.

“I won’t be able to accompany you since I have to go onto a quest during the night. We will meet up in Val Habar as soon as the ship arrives. And I would find it very favorable if I would not hear any news of somebody jumping off board or throwing you off when I come back. Is that alright?” Smiling again, she lowered her hand slowly. Very slowly. But the smile on her face told him that she really would plant her foot deep down where the sun doesn’t shine if he messed with people again. She really was… a personality to behold. And probably one to fear as well. Taking a deep breath in as he raised his eyebrows, he finally just nodded in defeat. That wasn’t really a promise, however. If he saw someone who acted like a jerk, he would still find a way to make it look like an accident that they went overboard. Accidents could always happen after all. She let out an exasperated sigh before she turned towards the door, starting to leave the room. These hunter accommodations everywhere sure seemed to be rather convenient. Maybe he should start the business too. Just occasionally, to earn something for himself as well. Following her outside, he had to chuckle silently as he saw the faces of some people staring at him. Mainly women, who turned their heads again as he stared at them directly. They seemed to be embarrassed to be caught looking. Or rather scared. Who wouldn’t be if they saw some monster like him? He earned that title after all.

The way to the pier wasn’t too long. Although he usually also didn’t feel too hungry, even if he didn’t eat anything for a longer time, he looked forward to the promised meal now. It probably really would be better to behave right now, at least as a thank you towards her. As she signaled him to wait shortly, he leaned against one of the pillars that were everywhere to fix the ships on. No traditional ships, of course; The one he would be taking towards Val Habar brought him through an ocean of sand, not one of water. He let his gaze wander around, studying one of the small houses. It was nothing special, plain white in color, two windows with flowers in them. And a garden in which a small Felyne just sat on a Poogie, letting its feet dangle on both sides as the creature under it searched for its favorite flowers. A calm picture in a busy town like this. All around him, people were walking, calling out towards others to fix ships or make them ready to leave. Some of them now hurried over to the one Val had walked towards before. His eyes followed them, seeing how she was talking to a man that apparently was getting ready to board the ship as well. He was taller than her by about a few centimeters, despite her heels. A white beard decorated his face, matching his just as white hair. If it was greyed out or just white by nature, he didn’t care about, as part of it was also hidden by a red leather hat. As Val pointed at him, the man turned his head, smiling widely as he waved at the black haired boy. What was he so happy about? To have him on board? Rather not probably.

“You should get ready too. We’re gonna leave soon.” Oh. That voice next to him let him look up to the reason why it suddenly got darker. The guy in red was tall already, but that man next to him was almost a giant. At least a head taller than the man with the hat, the smith nodded shortly before he continued to walk towards the ship. Another passenger apparently. At least everybody seemed to be calm until now, or they were good enough to hide their aggressions. Who knew.

“Don’t you worry, ma’am, we’ll take good care of him. When we arrive at Val Habar tomorrow, we’re gonna go sit at the bar and have a cold one on you until you return from that quest.” A sincere laugh reached his ears from the direction of the man with the hat, a wave of his hand signalized the young man to join them in their talk. Sighing under the mask he wore, he stepped closer, his eyes darting around between Val and the stranger. He sure looked like the kind of person that sat down on a few pints of mead in the evening. And of course he always had a smile on his lips. Just like…

“Say, why the mask? Oh, ya know what, nevermind. Everybody here has their secrets. So yours won’t be questioned either. If ya want to, ya can have yer meal under deck later on. I mean, if ya don’t want to show yer face to anyone, boy.” The grin on that man’s face really reminded him of his former companion. And now he was thrown on a ship with someone who resembled him like that as well? Either that was a bad joke played out from his horrible Karma, or someone was deliberately watching him to ensure this would be happening. But that was rather out of question. Nodding as to agree with his offer, Aestas calmly looked back at his chaperone, who nodded her head towards the ship for a moment to tell him to get on. At least she trusted him as much. Following the girl in green that seemed to be a bit overstrained by the task of carrying all of her books at once, he took some of them, carrying them along beside the young woman that kept thanking him for his help. He just wanted to get past her faster to be honest, but apparently she saw that as his way of saying hello. Sighing shortly as he finally was on the ship, he sat down beside its mast, his gaze wandering out onto the wide dunes. They seemed pretty treacherous for such a ship, but it was no open water. He would find a bit of peace at mind if he knew that no storm could bother this ship, at least not a thunderstorm like the one he witnessed about a few years ago. They would get sandy at most, hopefully. 

As everybody got on board, he changed his place to a spot where he wasn’t in the way of all the busy workers that were getting the ship ready to depart. It surely would be comfy under the deck with all those people sleeping there. His eyes caught a glimpse of the man in the red jacket again, who was talking to the captain in a friendly manner. The resemblance really stabbed him in the gut. But mulling over this fact would do him no good right now. Watching the ship change from the rather bumpy start to the smooth travel speed it took on, the young man decided to draw back into the cabins. Right now, he could really go for another tiny nap, as he wasn’t able to sleep a lot the day before. Taking off the coat he was wearing, Aestas sat down on one of the wooden beds prepared down here. It was better than a blank floor after all. He had seen Val hand the keys to his muzzle to the man in red, but right now, he could only think of getting some rest. There would be another day to worry about this tiny misfortune of his. Leaning back his head as he stared at the shaking floor above him, he closed his eyes, letting himself float off to sleep from the wavy movements below him.

Heavy steps on the wooden stairs intruded his thoughts, just as he was about to doze off. The leader of the caravan, as he got to know him by some talk before, apparently had decided to join him down in his solitude. What a bother.

“Oy lad, I don’t know why yer friend decided to hand me this, but I figured it’d be better off in yer hands. After all, it’s yer decision whether to keep it on or not. Even if she told me I might regret that. Ah, what do I care. Here ya go, anyways.” With a grin almost as wide as his hat, the man threw the key to his muzzle over. A bit taken aback by surprise, Aestas swiftly pulled up his hands from his rather relaxed position, juggling them for a moment before he finally held them secure.

“I guess I’ll see ya around, so have a nice nap down here, lad! Wouldn’t want ya to be all out of breath later!” Raising his hand to a short greeting that accompanied the still wide smile on the intruder’s face, he turned around on the spot to leave the quarters again. Staring at the now empty spot with a baffled expression for a moment, Aestas sighed with a damp voice, right before he carefully unhinged the mask. He’d most likely have to see if he’d regret it, but he probably would. Even though he had the same bright nature as Vivios. Taking another deep breath now that he could at least talk freely again, he decided to just kick back for now and - hopefully - finally find some peace with a bit of sleep. With his sleep pattern, there wouldn’t be a lot of actual deep sleep for him anyways. And someone would wake him up soon enough for all he knew. But right now, the swaying of the ship felt rather familiar - almost comforting. He swore he could hear a voice singing a familiar song faintly, letting it run through his mind, repeating the words to it in his thoughts.

_Oh, wind may be harsh and the journey seem long, yet all of your worries you’ll leave with a song. Sit down with a pint and sing with us, young one for your the way may be stony, yet our spirits are strong._


	3. Ocean of Sand

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The target: Val Habar.  
> The journey: A bit bumpy, to say the least.

A harsh jolt almost flung him out of the provisory bed he was laying on, the arms of the young man instinctively seeking for some kind of hold as he landed on the thin mattress again. Way to wake up, apparently. Grumbling something towards himself as he sat up in the slight shaking motion of the ship, Aestas stroke back his short hair, tugging some of it behind his ears. By now he was kind of not used to it constantly hanging in his face anymore, but that was just a neat plus point at the moment. How long had he been out, even? He felt well rested for once. A yawn making its way up his throat, he finally made his way up deck after a few more stretches.

People were busy with going around, doing their business, keeping the ship running. Some were transporting cargo from one spot to the other, a few were taking care of the sails. The girl in green was sitting somewhere on the far right of the ship, doodling something in her book while occasionally looking up. She seemed to be rather lost in thought. The only one who actually seemed to notice him even showing up again was the man with the hat.

“Hah! See who’s still alive after his nap!” The bright grin shone on him worse than the already risen sun. God, how much he hated to see it right now; not because of the man, but because of what it brought up in him again. But he wasn’t on the ocean. And there would be nothing happening out here. Shifting his weight onto one leg, the black haired man put one hand on his hips, stretching his back again now that he wasn’t lying around anymore. 

“You okay, kiddo? You looked a bit in the dumps yesterday. Ah, you know what, on second thought, it ain’t a great move to stab into someone’s business. But it won’t be long now, hunter. If they pour our drinks in Val Habar now, we might reach ‘em before they go flat. Ya wanna come over here and see for yerself?” Leaning on the railing of the slightly higher front of the boat, the man lifted his head slightly before he turned around again, crossing his arms as he looked up ahead, not bothered by the sand occasionally being flung at him whenever the boat hopped over a harsher spot of the rough desert. How had he just called him? Hunter? Had Val told them he already was one? A bit hesitant to go on with a charade like that, Aestas slowly made his way up as well, ignoring the dozens of tiny pebbles getting whipped into his face with every new gush of air.

“Just a bit more and ya can spot Val Habar on the horizon… I can smell the city from here! Or maybe I just got something stuck in my moustache? Har har!” The rough laugh combined with his crossed arms caused the man in red to throw back his head slightly as he laughed, spitting to the side to get rid of the sand again. He really was a bright nature, wasn’t he? Bringing himself to a short smile that was not more than the corner of his mouth raised slightly, he softly nodded, simply staring ahead to see if the town was actually already in view. The only smell in the wind was that of dry earth and stone, maybe a distant hint of something remotely resembling a town, distorted and masked by other scents around it. 

“Are ya excited, hunter? A bustlin’ bazaar floatin’ on a sea of sand. Ain’t nothing or nobody ya can’t find there. This here’s what I love about bein’ the Caravaneer - leadin’ a big ol’ caravan of trusted companions all over the world…” He almost looked sentimental after this short try of introducing himself. It was as if the man in front of him was slowly trying to get closer to what level of conversation he was used to. After all, the first impression he had gotten of him was that his face was half hidden by a muzzle. Better safe than sorry. And still this friendly. He kind of liked the Caravaneer’s attitude.

“Well, the ‘trusted companions’ part is a work in progress. In fact, that’s what brings me to Val Habar.” Now that was kind of a surprise. The caravan of a man like him should be brimming with people just as bright at his side. Did he lose some of his old one? No, if he was on the journey alone now, the wounds would be too fresh for him to be in such an undeniably honest good mood.

“So, what’s it you’re looking for? It shouldn’t take long for people to find themselves to go on a journey in such a busy town.” Aestas’ own voice sounded kind of hoarse again, yet became much better after he cleared his throat once. His interlocutor let out another short laugh before he pulled his hat back over his head a bit tighter.

“I’m lookin’ to recruit three more companions to join me on my travels. Whatever you’re in the market for, be it good folk, good deals or good intel, Val Habar is THE place. Ya already met ol’ smithy and the guild lady, haven’t ya? Well, up there we should be able to find who we need beside that. And the barkeeps don’t water down the drinks. Well, not as much as most places at least…” Coughing into his fist for a moment, the man let his eyes wander to the side while he talked, almost as if he caught himself getting lost in this train of thought again. He probably had been. Again, the assumed hunter couldn’t hold back a tiny grin at the reactions. Letting his hand sink again, the caravaneer kept talking as if nothing had happened.

“But no time for that this trip - I’ve got companions to rustle up! I won’t settle for sots or layabouts. A caravaneer puts his hopes and dreams in his comrades’ hands, ya know?” The other hand now fiddling with the hem of his jacket, the eyes of the man in red found him again. He seemed a bit nervous, yet also rather self assured. Raising one eyebrow, the black haired man nodded in agreement. Good companions were important. Even none at all were mostly better than incompetent ones.

“So what about you, hunter? What’s yer business in Val Habar?” Dammit. Caught on the spot. He had no idea what Val had told the man exactly. Should he look for an excuse and then just bail? Until now nobody knew where he came from or what he had done. Maybe it was better if it stood that way. Internally, his fight or flight reflex was ready to set in verbally, yet just as he opened his mouth to answer, the man suddenly squinted with an almost knowing smile on his face.

“Ah, I see. Ya pal told me yer gonna be a hunter. Thought she meant like on a mission. But ya came to officially register as one, haven’t ya? That’s right, they do have a Gathering Hall in Val Habar. And no shortage of hunters seeking quests, I hear. Don’t let that worry ya though, I’m sure you’ll find good work.” Scratching his chin as he looked up ahead, the Caravaneer seemed to get lost in thought yet again. The first high roofs of the city were emerging on the horizon, steadily growing taller as the ship neared the city. So there was no way out of this anymore by now, huh? Seemed like he’d become a hunter after all. Great.

“Say…” The verbal nudge of the man dragged him out of him sinking into a slight pit of self pity, causing him to look up with a questioning gaze towards the man who pointed up into the sky slowly.

“Have ya noticed the Remobras swarming over yonder? Something seems to have them in a fuss. Right over there.” His gaze slowly following the direction the man pointed at, it swiftly caught the flying creatures up in the sky. They looked unnerved, almost as if they were anticipating something bad to happen. A sudden bad gut feeling overcame the soon-to-be-hunter, his own intuition screaming at him to get off the boat NOW. Yet there was no place to run to from here. The sand suddenly started to get bumpier. Something was about to happen. Something he didn’t really look forward to, despite not knowing what it was yet. His throat started to feel dry, a cough escaping him as he held one hand onto his neck.

“They- they’re waiting for something.” A confused look from the Caravaneer towards him and the eyes of the man suddenly grew wide. It seemed he also realized that something was coming. Something big. With a sway to the side of the boat, both men had to rebalance themselves, right before the cause of the strange feeling showed its face.

The ground split on the front right of the ship, parted by one giant, massive horn that had almost hit it, has the moving of the sand not derailed its path. The huge body of the whale-like figure followed, diving out of the ocean of stone and sand as if it were water. The ship barely didn’t tip, yet somehow remained on its course, all of the crew staying on deck in a miracle that could only be described as such. With another jump out of the earth’s depths, the elder dragon had even built up enough momentum to jump over the ship entirely. His eyes were glued to the rough skin on the back of the monstrosity hauling itself over their boat. It was as if they were caught in a spiders web, yet their wings were trimmed and their lives ready for the harvest. Panic started to set in him, one he had not known before. What were all the people on this ship in the face of a creature that could simply squish them under its mighty weight?

“Hold on tight!” The calls from the crew came just in time for him to find hold on the railing, clinging onto it for his dear life as it swayed to the side just enough for the whale to not actually squash them down like the flies they were to it. He had heard of this monster before - it would not stop until they were dead. It was here to end all of them. The man next to him let go of his hat in order to find a better hold as well. Within the span of a second, it became loose, flying off his head with a desperate yelp and grab after it, yet to no avail. The band around it getting stuck on one of the cannons on board, he only now realized that this is what they were here for. Not in case pirates attacked them. In case something like this thing showed its face. And now that situation was here.

The whole crew was in an even greater panic than he himself. He had been in similar situations before. He had made it out alive. They, on the other hand, apparently hadn’t anticipated an attack of this scale. The elder dragon sunk into the sand headfirst, disappearing for a few seconds in which the people on board ran around frantically, yelling and fastening the sails, preparing the cannons and ballistae. Sand whipped some of them around harshly as the whale-like creature blew it out of his lungs, distancing itself from the ship, only to come back to ram it forcefully. Aestas lost his grip on the splintering wood he had held onto, swaying around between other crew members who almost made his ears ring with their completely frantic screams. Some wooden pieces almost impaled one of the men holding the ropes to the sail as it was flung at him, a whimper escaping another one who got a part stuck in his side. He had to do something. But what in earth’s name could he do? He alone?! He saw a red shimmer fly past him as the boat picked up pace, the dragon picking up its own speed to keep up as well. 

“A Dah’ren Moran! I was afraid of that. When ya see a swarm of Remobra, ya just know that elder dragon can’t be far behind. Watch out, now! Don’t fall off the ship!” The calls from the Caravaneer reached him a tad bit too late, as all he could do anyways was to hold onto a plank for his own dear life. The large creature took off further from the boat again, ready to ram its body into the planks below them again. His eyes were fixed on the thick scales on its back. And the hat that dangled off of one of the spikes. So that was the red thing his eyes had caught. Jumping up in a rather steady moment of the boat, the people around were starting to hide in safer locations on deck, all while the man in red still held his spot up at the head of the vehicle. 

“Did you find your footing? Ah, what the…. my hat! That’s where I keep…” Stopping mid sentence, the eyes of the Caravaneer were fixed on the red spot stinging out between all the brown. He looked like someone had just taken his favorite ale from him. It sent a strange sting through the chest of the black haired; something in his expression evoked a feeling in him he had almost pushed aside entirely a long time ago. He didn’t want to see the other like that. For the entire time he had been here, he had only treated him like an actual human being. Not like trash or someone to dispose of as soon as he had done his job. And that despite him not even talking to him a lot. It was as if it started a spark somewhere in the back of his head that soon turned into a wildfire of turmoil in his thoughts. He needed to get that hat back.

“Well, no time for that now.” Standing up straight, the man started to shout out some orders towards the scurrying crew, gesturing them to load up the weapons and stay alert.

“Listen up, Hunter! Unless we can stop it, that Dah’ren Moran’ll crush Val Habar like a Huskberry. I’ll send out a distress call. Buy me some time!” Right. He needed to help stop that thing. Not only his own hide was at risk right now. But there was something else to do first.

“I’m gonna get it back.” Despite the words only being spoken, they had reached the Caravaneer well enough. His gaze was fixed on the other man, yet it seemed like he would be asking if he had gone entirely insane any second now.

“What’s that? You’re gonna try to get my hat back? Are you… Criminy, Hunter, ya got some Duramboros-sized… Well, alright then. I’d thank ya kindly for it… if you make it back…” Although he still seemed hesitant with his decision on agreeing on such a suicidal task, he actually seemed relieved at that decision. Another grin wandered onto Aestas’ face, yet this time not amused or happy, rather that of a man with nothing to lose and a hat to gain. His feet found their way forward, holding on tight as the massive body of the elder dragon closed in on the ship again. The call to prepare for impact was only registered somewhere in the back of his head, his body balancing the jolt from the clash almost by itself. 

“You can climb onto this thing’s back from its arm! Wait on the deck, and I’ll holler when it’s safe!” His mind went wild as he clung onto one of the planks, the ship pushed into an almost vertical position by the whale that tried to kill everyone on it. His heart was beating up to his neck. It felt like his chest would be bursting any second. This was one of the craziest things he had ever done. 

Slowly, the ship went back into a steady path, distancing itself a bit from the Dah’ren. Its arm was still there, however. He could see it coming closer again. He just had to wait for the right moment. This was it. He was about to climb onto an elder dragon for a hat. His legs darted forward as soon as he heard the call. As if he had just waited for the command to go run blindly into his death.

“Now, run up its arm!” His feet met the last few centimeters of the partially destroyed wooden board on the side of the boat. They parted with it. He felt the wind whip onto him, trying to rip his body into the unforgiving ocean of sand around them. For a second, Aestas closed his eyes before he ripped them open again, fixed on the giant creature before him. One hand holding tight onto the spike it could reach, his feet met brown scales. He was on the back of an elder dragon.


	4. Elder Threat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Elder dragons. The bane of all unexperienced hunters. And yet, this one still somehow managed to hold his ground against one.

He was on the back of a Dah’ren Moran. To repeat that: The back of a goddamn elder dragon larger than the ship he had been on mere seconds ago. His heartbeat was up in his ears, every single one louder than the last, leaving him almost deaf to anything around him for a few seconds until his logical thoughts made a comeback. Right. The hat. He had to get the hat. It was right there at the other side of the large monster. A roar from below him caused the ‘ground’ he stood on to shake wildly. Even as he held onto the spikes next to him, he didn’t know if he’d ever find his footing again properly. Yet it stopped as fast as it started, a sharp breath escaping him before he finally dared to step forward. Only a few meters. Not as far as he had expected.

A stone from the whale’s blowhole landed right next to Aestas, causing him to almost throw himself into the spikes he was holding onto. God. This entire situation was just one giant fuck up. He could hear some calls from the ship, but none his ears would catch. Now he was only focused on the task ahead. The red leather was visible even under the streams of sand the wind carried over the rough skin of the elder dragon. It was about to slip off, fly off into an ocean to never be found again. He was having none of that right now.

With a jump that rivaled any he had taken in his life, his hand firmly grasped the spike closest to the hat. He could reach it. He could take it and-

Another roar below him that made him flinch up, his ears ringing, his fingers barely brushed the hem of the hat, sand whipping against it causing it to start to fly off. No. No, no no! With all the momentum in his movement as he reached out for it, he managed to grab the band of it just in the last second. He had it. He had it! Now he just had to get back to the ship. How that would work out was another question. As his eyes told him when he turned back towards it, the Dah’ren had started to swim right again, ready to ram the ship another time. The Caravaneer was yelling something into his direction, but it didn’t reach him over all the noises around him, his own heart beat that sat in his neck by now included.

“It’s trying to shake ya off! That Moran ain’t no moron. Be prepared for the impact!” Great. Just fucking great. The first thing his ears were able to catch were that. At least he got a fair warning. Not that he wouldn’t have seen it as well, but now he got the confirmation. Just pass the right moment. Wait for it.

The body of the elder dragon met the wooden planks of the ship, his feet pushing him off the rough scales almost in a reflex as he felt the impact on the body below him. Rolling off the steep ground of the ship that the sand whale pushed into an almost vertical position, he was able to hold onto one of the planks just in time to not roll back off it entirely. Getting pulled back onto board on a rope while sand lashed at him from every possible direction was something he’d rather like to prevent, if possible. And that was still the better option. The other one he didn’t even want to think about.

Finally, the large monster left off the ship again, a deep, bellowing roar audible from its side. He wanted to cover his ears, yet only barely managed to do so, his ears ringing below his hand and the hat he used to shield the second side of his head. Everyone else seemed rather busy with trying to keep the ship running. They didn’t seem too bothered by the horribly deafening sounds from the Dah’ren.

“.....made it! Good on ya, hunter. Much obliged.” The slight touch on his shoulder and a broad grin reminded him to snap back to the situation. Right. He did it. He made it back.

“I’m gonna hold onto this for now, send the distress signal!” Fixing the hat on his belt to not lose it a second time, the fake hunter nodded back towards the top of the ship, trying to get the caravaneer out of harm's way for now. The danger was far from gone and the way it looked right now, the Moran wouldn’t leave off them too soon either. His words earned a nod and a few steps away from the man in red before he turned back.

“All right, I need ya to buy me some time. Showerin’ it in cannonballs should give it somethin’ to think about! The cannons are fixed, just grab some of ‘em from the back of the ship and get goin’. I’m countin’ on ya, hunter!” The crew was already busy getting that done, but they were by far not used to carrying around cannon balls. They didn’t even lift from the legs. Amateurs. Reminding himself mentally that this was not the time to make jokes at the costs of other people, he swiftly took up action, sprinting over to the stern of the ship to pick up one of the rather heavy cannonballs. More than walking back was not in it, as he already caught himself wheezing over the weight of one of them. They surely were made to fight off large monsters, that stuff was nothing to take lightly. Not even for something the size of the very ship he was standing on. As he was letting the ammunition sink into the cannon, the corner of his eye caught the man in red load a signal gun. Everything on this ship was a symphony of distress and forced cooperation right now. At least something went right. And at least he was able to cover his ears in time before the cannon was fired with a loud call.

The elder dragon roared up just seconds later as the heavy metal hit its skin, scales bursting apart from the mighty body as the shattered under the sheer force of the impact. The skin showing out through the broken hide looked almost metallic, as if someone would have poured molten silver over it. Now that he had a closer look like this, it seemed to be of the same structure as the arms he had used to climb onto the monster’s back. This was not its first attack on a ship like that, this much was clear now. All the more reason to get this over with faster.

“There ya go! Didn’t like that one bit, did he? Har har! Keep it busy, just like that.” The caravaneer had fumbled the ammo in the hasty movements and swaying of the ship, not wasting another moment to search for a calmer place on deck, trying to get everything to work. The rest of the mindlessly running people that were not hidden below them by now was too busy with keeping a sand whale away from their only chance of survival in an unforgiving ocean. More cannonballs. They needed to hold him off.

Just as he turned around again from picking up another one of the heavy metal projectiles, he could see the creature slowly sinking below the sand. Did it give up? Was it retreating? Some of the crew were already taking a deep breath. Yet something told him this wasn’t the end of it. Would it try to break the ship apart from below?

A bellowing sound that made him flinch yet again erupted from the surface of the sand, alongside the whale that had buried into it mere moments ago. Screams were getting louder again, his arms shivering under the strain on both his muscles and his ears. He couldn’t drop the cannonball, it was their only hope of fending this thing off right now. If it did not squish them all below its giant body with the maneuver it just planned. The jump was high enough to not graze the sails, thankfully, as it allowed the captain to steer to the side, just in time for the Dah’ren to only rip a few planks on the side off with it. The cannon stood unharmed, much to the false hunter’s delight.

“Cripes, that thing can leap! Ya don’t see that everyday.” Right now, the caravaneer really spoke to his soul. It had jumped over the boat once already, yet this time it was even closer than before. His feet moved over to the cannon, the next ball loaded before the rest of the crew could even react. Soon, hectic movements to fire followed, his ears covered tightly once again to shield them from both the exploding sound of the heavy weaponry and the following pained yell from their enemy.

“Good work, hunter! Just a little more time… keep it up!” He could see the smith heaving up some more ammunition from below deck, the girl in green cowered behind him, covering her head in a futile attempt to not be hit by any stones. Right as he diverted his attention for a few mere seconds, one of the rocks from the whales’ blowhole hit the wooden planks behind him, the air pressure that surrounded it blowing his hair straight across his face. For a second he send a short thank you to his past self since he had decided to cut it this short again. Otherwise he would be greeting it with his eyes as well as his nose right now.

“Oh darn… watch out, it’s got a big attack comin’! You better drag yourself over here, or else there won’t be much left of you!” Panicked voices around him almost yelled over the voice of the man in red, yet their tugging towards both of the sides of the ship left him blank-faced, his eyes snapping towards the front immediately, his feet almost finding their way by itself. Just in time to hold onto one of the blanks as the vehicle yet again was pushed almost into falling over, the heavy body of the attacking monster smashing into it like a battering ram. He felt a hand hold onto his arm, keeping him steady while the other hand of the Caravaneer was fixed around the railing. Only slowly did the ship regain it’s natural sailing position, distancing itself a good bit from the Dah’ren. Another cannonball was fired, causing the monster to flinch up and roar yet again, the hunter’s ears in return ringing like a bell. God, how he hated that thing.

“Great job, but we’re almost at Val Habar - it’s time to pull out all the stops!” Pointing towards the back of the ship yet again, the man next to him managed to yell over all the noises around him, his ringing ears included.

“Mohrans got sensitive ears - it’s how they monitor the surface while they’re in the sand. Loud noises give ‘em fits.” They wouldn’t be the only one getting fits right now. But if that was the only chance to get that thing to leave off them, he would have to take one more bang from a cannon, probably.

“We gotta let it get as close as possible and then ring the Hunting Gong on the ship’s deck. That oughta send it reeling.” Good, only a gong. It couldn’t possibly be that bad if it was only that. Even if it was loud, those usually had a rather good sound, not such a jarring bang. It would still hurt, but at least end this whole ordeal. A few shouts towards the crew and they were hurrying to get the gong ready, all while the Dah’ren disappeared below the sand, apparently having enough of all the banging and bombardement they offered him. If only it would stay down there, they wouldn’t have that whole problem.

Ropes were dragging up the large gong, the hammers used to hit it drawn back by heavy weights. That thing was huge, to say the least. The more he saw, the more he reconsidered his preference of this over the noise of the cannonballs. But there was no time to think about that now. The pointed snout of the elder dragon started to peak out of the sand, turned towards them as its body continued the movement forward. Its upper body started to rear out of the ocean below them, ready to finally squash that pesky ship in its territory for real. Crew stumbled back, covering up their ears. The lever on the ground clicked audibly, someone handing him a hammer from the side. Great, everyone shoved the responsibility onto him. He’d have them hear that later. For now, only one thing was important.

“Now! Bang that gong!” The choice of words could have been better, but the slight bit of humor his brain offered him was swiftly lost somewhere in the back of his mind as he lifted the heavy hammer, its head smashing down onto the lever with a force he didn’t even know he could bring up.

His ears were not only ringing. They were screaming. His whole body vibrated with the enormous noise the gong emitted as the hammers hit it simultaneously, shortly after his entire hearing was gone. It was just not there any more. He tried to hit his head from the side, but there was nothing. Not even the dump noise he usually heard when a flat hand hit his ears. A slight panic started to rise up in him, yet slowly, some very loud calls started to reach through, alongside the roar of the Dah’ren that seemed to be just as struck as him by the gong.

The large monster reared up backwards this time, falling over into the dunes with an impact that shook the ship yet again. The makeshift hunter found his footing again only with a bit of stumbling, as his sense of direction had been knocked out alongside his ears. He could catch some Delex jump onto board, straight out of the sand. The Caravaneer finally managed to load his signal gun, a shot given fast enough while everyone around him ran across like ship rats trying to find the last dry spot on a boat slowly filling with water. It wasn’t too far off, just that the water in their case was sand and the obstacle ready to sink them an elder dragon larger than the vehicle below them. 

Another bump almost threw Aestas back off his feet as the Dah’ren resurfaced, swimming alongside the ship as if its presence alone would be enough to just sink it. He could hear some yelling about closing in on Val Habar, yet mostly he was still deaf at the moment. One of the Delex that had jumped aboard neared the man in red still stumbling from the impact as well, yet much to his amusement, it merely got kicked away again, sliding off deck on a sheet of sand below it.

With a loud, bellowing, laughing call he saw another crew member point out towards one of the other ships nearing them. They had seen the distress call. Thank every kind of existing god out there. Four ships were closing in, a cross formation almost like a choreographed dance nearing their own vehicle faster than the sand whale beside them would have liked. Their own ship lost speed, the elder dragon keeping up its pace, cannonballs and ballistae equipped with binding ropes meeting its sides only mere seconds after they had left the line of fire. Some of the roars even audible to him, he couldn’t help but feel a weird kind of satisfaction. That’s what that fucker got for attacking them like this.

The town was closing in faster and faster. Sturdier ground came closer, a smell of civilization swept into his nose with a gush of wind. Soon they would be there. Not if that thing squished half of Val Habar, however. The nose of the Moran met solid ground before it, its body flinging out the ocean of sand to let out another bellowing call, ready to fall straight into the gathering of life before it.

Ropes pulling the rearing creature to the side, its body only barely missed the town, crashing into the ground. The provisory hunter only saw it disappearing slowly back into the softer parts of the sand, two of the ships immediately ready to follow it. His eyes spotted a piece of blue armor, a few strands of white hair on one of them. And as it seemed, he had his gaze fixed on their ship as well, only turning his head back to give more orders as he made sure that there was no severe damage done to it. A breath he didn’t knew he had been holding escaped the black haired man as the ship set anchor before the town.

They had finally reached their destination.


	5. Val Habar

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally having solid ground under his feet again, our young hunter gets swept off his way easily by the bright smile of a certain caravaneer.

He still didn’t hear a lot as he made his way off the ship, suppressing the feeling of kissing the sandy floor in order to not swallow any more of it. By now he had sand everywhere anyways, though. Sighing deeply, he ignored all the troubles and calls around him, his lips tightly closed even as someone thanked him while they patted his shoulder. God, why did everyone always have to touch him. His first concern was to be able to hear again. There had to be a doctor here somewhere.

His short journey through the streets of the rather busy town went without any sign of success. However, after a while, a loud popping noise in one of his ears at least gave him enough of his hearing back to not jump at any person walking up next to him without him having heard them before. It would settle itself, eventually. Hopefully.

Letting his feet find their way back towards the dock, the makeshift hunter had to let out a short sigh. What was he supposed to do now? Just wait here for Val? Run off like the asshole he was? Something brushed against his still pretty exposed thigh. Right. Maybe get his clothes back and return that hat he still had to the Caravaneer. He didn’t even know his name yet. The man with the red leather jacket currently held his arm up, a white falcon sitting on it that he softly pet around the neck. A messenger bird, apparently.

“Hey. I’m still here.” Bringing himself to a really forced smile, Aestas raised one hand to a greeting, the head of the man snapping towards him immediately. With a gesture upwards, he let the white bird fly off again, instead walking up towards him with the brightest expression he could muster. Oh god. Hopefully he wouldn’t go for a hug with his arms extended like that. Instead, he kept his distance at an appropriate level. Had someone told him about his aversion against touches? Or was he just that perceptive in general?

"Yer alive, hunter! Great to see you all in one piece!" The man in red seemed genuine about his words. Something the other wasn't quite used to anymore.

"Yeah. And I think I should return something to you." Loosening the band of the red hat from his belt, Aestas held it out to the seemingly surprised Caravaneer, who stared at it with a baffled expression for a few solid seconds before he took it, his hand immediately reaching into it to pull out what looked like some kind of shimmering piece of stone to him. A broad grin was plastered over the man’s face as he stared at it, raised above his head, as if the colors bouncing off it under the daylight would tell him the secrets of life itself. Pushing it back into the side band of the hat where it had been safe even under all the stress it went through, the Caravaneer put his hat back on, his smile growing even wider as it seemed.

Just as he was about to say something again, a horn interrupted his line of thought. Turning towards the large wooden dragon head in the back of the town, both men stared at it for a moment before the noise settled down again. Compared to all the roars and thundering noises that had almost taken his hearing for good already, this one was almost bearable. Still mildly annoying, yet at least not ear shattering loud.

His gaze remained on the building ornamented with the large carving. It had been a ship once, yet by now there were no sails on it anymore, rather something that looked like a lookout tower. This was most likely also the point that had seen their distress call and reacted. Aestas caught himself letting out a short mental thank you note to the men up there doing their best to get the ship into harbor safe and sound.

“Looks like we both scraped with all our limbs. Har!” The man in front of him crossed his arms as he turned back towards the ‘hunter’, nodding his head into his direction shortly.

“It’s time we introduced ourselves proper, waddya say? Yer ol’ chaperone already told me yer name, so it would be a shame for ya to not know mine as well. Most people here call me the Caravaneer, but the real names Finnley. Finn for short. I run the Caravan! Of course, lots of caravans pass through Val Habar, but…” He paused for a second, that certain smile returning to his face after blabbering out for quite a while. He really seemed to be passionate about his work and the caravan he led. A nice change from all the bored faces merely working their jobs all day long.

“Mine’s the only one worthy of a capital ‘C’. Har har!” The man’s mood swung over from one second to the other, a now more serious look on his face as he examined the black haired passenger before him. It was almost as if he would be searching for something; for what, the slightly uncomfortable conversation partner did not know.

“I got to tell ya, precious few hunters could hold their own against that monster without preparation. Hoowee!” For a moment he could swear to see a sparkle in the other’s eyes, accompanied by an almost mischievous look on the Caravaneer’s face. Aestas squinted slightly as the white haired man continued speaking.

“Have you got any work lined up?” Softly, the fake hunter shook his head, raising one eyebrow now to almost stare the man down. What was he planning now?

“No? Good. Har har.” That laughter didn’t bode well to him. Not well at all. Just as he was about to protest, the waterfall of words already continued.

“Because I got a job for you right here in the Capital C Caravan.” Ah. There it was. He had barely arrived here and someone had already grabbed him by the scruff of his neck like a young kitten that was about to flee. How very accurate this mental image seemed to him right now, as he had thought about leaving just mere minutes ago. But then again, maybe he could look into this a bit more. Maybe he could get something out of it as well since he was already here.

“So, what is it that the lot of you do, then? Some info on a potential job would be great after all.” Crossing his arms as well, not only as a physical barrier, but also as some kind of mental distance to be brought between them, he was ready to listen to the offer at least. That certain shimmer in the Caravaneer’s eyes was back, his hand tipping his hat up slightly as he leaned onto one leg, seemingly much more relaxed now. Had he been nervous to ask this? Probably not, considering his personality. Still, this whole situation was rather… curious, to say the least.

“What we do? Well, what *I* do is hunt for treasure. Pure unadulterated excitement! Me and the man over there-”, the Caravaneer pointed at the large wyverian that had been on the ship as well, “-are tryin’ to discover the meaning of a little doodad in my possession that I like to call the Article. We’ve travelled most of the known world already, and now we’ve come to Val Habar in search of four companions to help us. Companion one: A cook! Can’t hunt for treasure and mysteries on an empty stomach… Or a sober mind, har!” He clearly was in good spirits by now. Even the usually gloomy man in front of Finn caught a small smile as he heard him talk like that. It sure was a nice upgrade from being locked up with only malevolent voices around him. And it sure as all hell was better than being surrounded by people whose every word seethed with fake cheerfulness and the try to seem likeable. No, the man in front of him was genuine about his words and actions and it showed. Aestas finally dared to relax a bit as well, his posture now a big more open and not as tense anymore.

“Companion number two: A merchant. We need a feller who can get what we need, when we need it, no questions asked. Companion number three: A doctor! Sounds trivial, but when ya think about what could be up ahead, it’s certainly better to have someone with us who can patch up the live bait again. Har! Just kidding of course. And finally, companion number four: A hunter! Traveling the world is dangerous! A hunter keeps the Caravan safe and sound.” So this was where he came into this whole play. But he was no hunter. Although the Caravaneer most likely still thought that he was here to get registered as one. Ready to protest, the black haired man raised his hand, yet was cut off again by the words of the other.

“And who should I meet on the ferry but YOU! You practically saved the whole dang city! Alone! ...Well, with a little help. Some might call that chance, but I call it destiny! So how about it? You want to join the Capital C?” This was all spiraling out of control. He was no hunter. Far from it. He wasn’t even qualified to agree on the fact that it had been him who held the Dah’ren Moran off for long enough. Any other person able to lift a cannonball or a hammer would have been able to do so. They would’ve managed to get this done without him as well. Raising his hands in a defensive gesture, Aestas took a deep breath, staring the man in front of him straight into the eyes, despite every single hair on his neck standing up as he did so. He hated looking people in the eyes when he wasn’t looking for something in them. But sometimes it was necessary.

“I… I don’t… really think I’m all that qualified. Listen, Mister Caravaneer, as nice as that offer is, I just got onto the ship, I took a nap and then a Dah’ren attacked it. I just helped to fend it off. That’s everything.” There. He said it. Another sigh escaped him as he turned his head away again. The only logical outcome here was just another verbal slap in the face. But it was better than pretending to be something he wasn’t. A laugh let him look up again, one eyebrow raised as he stared at the obviously amused face of the other.

“And what about my hat, ya idiot? You got guts, hunter. Not something you see in everyone. I know you’re just startin’ out, but we don’t plan to go big-game hunting right away anyways! I trust you can fend off some Konchus tryin’ to steal my supplies! That’ll do for now. And even if something bigger shows up, we’re stayin’ in Val Habar for a while anyways. Lotsa time to go and tell the guild to give ya some training. So, waddya say now? Do we got a deal?” He honestly didn’t know what to say for a solid minute, just staring Finnley down with an unfaltering, purely baffled look on his face. His blue eyes finally blinking again, Aestas had to sort his thoughts out. He really wanted HIM to be the hunter for that caravan, huh? Not anyone else. Him specifically. Just because he had brought the hat back? Shouldn’t a proper hunter NOT do things like that in order to stay alive and keep the caravan safe? Why in all heavens would he want to get a gutsy, reckless idiot to guard him and his caravan, one he didn’t even properly know all the less? Literally anyone else would be more fit than him. And Val would also be here soon again. Maybe he should just wait it out and-

“You’re lookin’ like a Vespoid stung you where the sun don’t shine, kid. Is it really bafflin’ ya that much? I mean, I saw your skill firsthand. Ya didn’t just run around carrying cannonballs like ya claim. You’re pretty sure in your steps and ya certainly know how to act quick! With a bit of training ya can reach just about anything. I’m pretty darn sure about that!” There it was again, that broad grin he just couldn’t be mad or confused at. One thing he had to hand to the Caravaneer - he sure knew how to draw someone to his side. Sighing again, yet this time with a slight smile, Aestas simply shrugged the rest of his thoughts off for once. Maybe sometimes he should just act on impulse. Do something that he didn’t think off too long and just live for himself.

“You know what? Why not. It’s not like I’ve never watched someone hunt or wrestled one or the other Bullfango myself. I’m in.” The grin grew even wider, causing the newly made hunter to answer with a soft laugh.

“Right! Now we’re cookin’ with Wyvern Fire! You know what this calls for? A little entrance exam. Just a formality, mind you.” Oh. So he was thrown into it right away after all. He’d handle a few Kelbi or something like that well enough. Whatever it was, he’d be able to juggle some things. He’d just need to get his head into it and off he went.

“Now, for your first Capital-C challenge I need you to… Ya know what? I’m famished. Let’s do this: Fetch me a well-done steak. Heck, even a rare steak will do. Ya know how to grill, I assume. Just grab some raw meat and slooooowly grill it. Otherwise you’ll burn it if ya go at it too fast. Timing matters, y’know. Ya’d better just get out in the wild and try it. Oh, and of course, I guess that goes without saying, no just grabbing that meat from a stand and cooking it over the fireplace. Get ya that prey yerself. Oh, and don’t forget to register it as a quest at the quest counter. Otherwise they won’t let ya out there by yerself anyways. I’ll hand it in right away. And when ya feel ready to, ya can take on a whole slew of meaty quests. Only after ya finish MY meaty quest though. As in, a quest for meat. Har! The guildmarm mannin - marming? - the counter will point ya in the right direction. She’s a peach, she is.” He finally paused in his speech, giving Aestas a short break to process all the information thrown at him. Well, not that much information after all, but rather his brain was busy just accepting that he had actually thrown himself into this situation in the first place. If he could shut his thoughts down just a bit for once, it would be a really big advantage. At least right now a dial to make them shut up a bit more would be great.

“That over there is ol’ Smithy by the way. He’ll forge ya something nice up later on. Forging is a hunters must, after all! The man’s been my partner for ages, so I trust his skill. Ya’d never know he was so dexterous from the look of him, would ya.” A hearty pat on his shoulder let him flinch up shortly, staring back at the Caravaneer with a slight scowl on his face that thankfully relaxed far enough.

“Use that wagon over there as ya prep room. A bigger ship brought it here some days ago. It’s all belonging to the Capital C, so take whatever ya need without being shy. If yer gonna be one of us, ya need your own personal space. There’s some weapons in there as well. Take whatever fits ya best. And by all means, take ya time. Don’t let this old fool hurry ya up too much. Whenever yer ready, yer ready. It’s that simple. Oh, and you’ll also find some funds and a bonafide set of Caravan Armor in there. Get yerself equipped so you don’t have to run around half naked anymore.” Right. That would also explain why some people stared at him like that. It wasn’t normal here to run around with most of one’s skin exposed either, as it seemed. Aestas nodded shortly, as a sign he had taken in all of the information given to him. He’d remember it sooner or later, if necessary he’d just ask again. But for now, it was time to find some rest. Then he’d be out for the hunt, as it seemed.

“Well then, I’ll be taking my leave to prepare for all that. Thank you for everything.” Slithering out of the grip around his shoulder like a weasel, the new hunter nodded once again as the Caravaneer tipped his hat shortly, making his way towards the wagon. This could really get interesting.

“You’re my Kindred Hunter now. Just gotta breeze through a couple tests and make it official! Good luck, har!” The call in his ears, he pushed the curtain that acted as a door to the side, stepping into his provisory home. A deep breath later and his mind finally came to a bit of a rest. So he was a hunter now, huh.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd be happy about any kind of feedback about my writing or similar. If you don't like the themes, please don't message me about this. I've written a lot of things that are in it in the tags, so if any of them upset you, please don't put yourself under the strain of reading this.... whatever this is.


End file.
